On Wednesday, November 12 at 7:00 p.m., Join us for a captivating talk and slideshow with Scott Van Arsdale, retired Fish and Wildlife Technician with
Event Details
On Wednesday, November 12 at 7:00 p.m., Join us for a captivating talk and slideshow with Scott Van Arsdale, retired Fish and Wildlife Technician with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, as he shares stories from a career spent working up close with some of our most iconic birds of prey.
Scott will trace the remarkable history of eagles in New York, including the highly successful bald eagle restoration program. He’ll recount firsthand experiences—from climbing into treetop nests to wintertime capture missions involving both bald and golden eagles—and explore current threats to these powerful raptors.
A Finger Lakes native and SUNY Cobleskill graduate, Scott served more than 30 years with DEC, much of that time based in Stamford. He is the author of The Eagle Guy, a memoir chronicling his decades of fieldwork. Scott now lives in the Town of Otego. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear from someone who’s spent a lifetime helping eagles soar. Scott will have his book for sale after the talk.
We envision a healthy world where people and wildlife thrive and natural resources are protected. The mission of Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society is to protect our natural environment and connect people with nature to benefit birds and other wildlife through conservation, education, research and advocacy.
The Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society will host Ben Goldfarb, a renowned environmental journalist, on Friday, November 21, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. Ben will be discussing
Event Details
The Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society will host Ben Goldfarb, a renowned environmental journalist, on Friday, November 21, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. Ben will be discussing the challenges of our road systems to wildlife along with solutions, the topic of his latest award-winning book, Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet. This program is free and open to the public.
Some 40 million miles of roadways encircle the earth, yet we tend to regard them only as infrastructure for human convenience. While roads are so ubiquitous they’re practically invisible to us, wild animals experience them as alien forces of death and disruption. More than a million animals are killed by cars each day in the U.S. alone; creatures from antelope to salmon are losing their ability to migrate in search of food and mates; and the very noise of traffic chases songbirds from vast swaths of habitat. Today road ecologists are seeking to blunt that destruction through innovative solutions. Conservationists are building bridges for California’s mountain lions and tunnels for English toads, engineers are deconstructing the labyrinth of logging roads that web national forests, and community organizers are working to undo the havoc highways have wreaked upon American cities. In his talk, Ben Goldfarb will discuss the ecological harms wrought by transportation and the movement to redress them — and how we can create a better, safer world for all living beings.
About the Presenter
Ben Goldfarb is an environmental journalist whose work has appeared in National Geographic, the Atlantic, Smithsonian Magazine, and many other publications, and has twice been anthologized in the Best American Science & Nature Writing. His most recent book, Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet, was named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times and the New Yorker, and received the Rachel Carson Award for Excellence in Environmental Writing and the Banff Book Competition’s Grand Prize. His previous book, Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, won the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. He lives in Colorado with his wife, Elise, and his dog, Kit — which is, of course, what you call a baby beaver.
Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society coordinates THREE regions for the annual National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count – Oneonta Region in Otsego County, Fort Plain Region in Montgomery
Event Details
Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society coordinates THREE regions for the annual National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count – Oneonta Region in Otsego County, Fort Plain Region in Montgomery County, and Delaware County Region. These counts take place in late December and early January each year.
*As of 2012, there is no longer any fee to participate in Christmas Bird Counts.
OTSEGO COUNTY
2025: Sunday, December 14 – Oneonta Christmas Bird Count (CBC):
We have been participating in the national count for over 50 years!. Everyone, novice or experienced, is welcome to join us on this fun day. Small groups in one or two cars count all the birds they find in their assigned area, within our designated 15-mile radius circle centered around Milford, for whatever hours they choose.
Each group has a leader who will have received appropriate materials beforehand. Alternatively, instead of joining a group, you can count birds at your own feeder off and on throughout the day if you are within our circle. If you are a new counter for either the group counts or the feeder counts, please contact Sandy Bright at brights@hartwick.edu or 607-287-4465. People who have participated before will be contacted.
2025: Saturday, December 27 – Fort Plain Christmas Bird Count (CBC): All are welcome to participate regardless of birding experience. For information contact Contact Charlie Scheim at scheimc@hartwick.edu or by phone 607-434-4880.
View Maps for the Fort Plain Christmas Bird Count.
DELAWARE COUNTY
2026: Sunday, January 4 – Delaware County Region Christmas Bird Count (CBC):
The Delaware County CBC (NYDE) was established in 2017 following a test run in 2016. Our 15 mile circle is centered at Bear Spring Mountain in Walton and extends to Hamden, Downsville and Shinhopple. The territory is quite remote and includes steep hollows, forests, river valleys, two villages and sections of the Pepacton and Cannonsville Reservoirs.
All are welcomed to participate by joining a team of counters or reporting from a backyard feeder, if it is within the count circle. We conduct our count the first weekend in January. Contact Pam Peters if you are interested in participating or learning more: ovenb1rdp@gmail.com or (607) 829-6545.
The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a long-standing program of the National Audubon Society, with over 100 years of citizen science involvement. It is an early-winter bird census, where thousands of volunteers across the US, Canada and many countries in the Western Hemisphere, go out over a 24 hour period on one calendar day to count birds.
Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society coordinates THREE regions for the annual National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count – Oneonta Region in Otsego County, Fort Plain Region in
Event Details
Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society coordinates THREE regions for the annual National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count – Oneonta Region in Otsego County, Fort Plain Region in Montgomery County, and Delaware County Region. These counts take place in late December and early January each year.
*As of 2012, there is no longer any fee to participate in Christmas Bird Counts
MONTGOMERY COUNTY/Fort Plain Area
2025: Saturday, December 27 – Fort Plain Christmas Bird Count (CBC): All are welcome to participate regardless of birding experience. For information contact Contact Charlie Scheim at scheimc@hartwick.edu or by phone 607-434-4880.
View Maps for the Fort Plain Christmas Bird Count.
Other DOAS Christmas Bird Counts
OTSEGO COUNTY
2025: Sunday, December 14 – Oneonta Christmas Bird Count (CBC):
We have been participating in the national count for over 50 years!. Everyone, novice or experienced, is welcome to join us on this fun day. Small groups in one or two cars count all the birds they find in their assigned area, within our designated 15-mile radius circle centered around Milford, for whatever hours they choose.
Each group has a leader who will have received appropriate materials beforehand. Alternatively, instead of joining a group, you can count birds at your own feeder off and on throughout the day if you are within our circle. If you are a new counter for either the group counts or the feeder counts, please contact Sandy Bright at brights@hartwick.edu or 607-287-4465. People who have participated before will be contacted.
2026: Sunday, January 4 – Delaware County Region Christmas Bird Count (CBC):
The Delaware County CBC (NYDE) was established in 2017 following a test run in 2016. Our 15 mile circle is centered at Bear Spring Mountain in Walton and extends to Hamden, Downsville and Shinhopple. The territory is quite remote and includes steep hollows, forests, river valleys, two villages and sections of the Pepacton and Cannonsville Reservoirs.
All are welcomed to participate by joining a team of counters or reporting from a backyard feeder, if it is within the count circle. We conduct our count the first weekend in January. Contact Pam Peters if you are interested in participating or learning more: ovenb1rdp@gmail.com or (607) 829-6545.
The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a long-standing program of the National Audubon Society, with over 100 years of citizen science involvement. It is an early-winter bird census, where thousands of volunteers across the US, Canada and many countries in the Western Hemisphere, go out over a 24 hour period on one calendar day to count birds.
Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society coordinates THREE regions for the annual National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count – Oneonta Region in Otsego County, Fort Plain Region in
Event Details
Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society coordinates THREE regions for the annual National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count – Oneonta Region in Otsego County, Fort Plain Region in Montgomery County, and Delaware County Region. These counts take place in late December and early January each year.
*As of 2012, there is no longer any fee to participate in Christmas Bird Counts.
DELAWARE COUNTY
2026: Sunday, January 4 – Delaware County Region Christmas Bird Count (CBC):
The Delaware County CBC (NYDE) was established in 2017 following a test run in 2016. Our 15 mile circle is centered at Bear Spring Mountain in Walton and extends to Hamden, Downsville and Shinhopple. The territory is quite remote and includes steep hollows, forests, river valleys, two villages and sections of the Pepacton and Cannonsville Reservoirs.
All are welcomed to participate by joining a team of counters or reporting from a backyard feeder, if it is within the count circle. We conduct our count the first weekend in January. Contact Pam Peters if you are interested in participating or learning more: ovenb1rdp@gmail.com or (607) 829-6545.
2025: Sunday, December 14 – Oneonta Christmas Bird Count (CBC):
We have been participating in the national count for over 50 years!. Everyone, novice or experienced, is welcome to join us on this fun day. Small groups in one or two cars count all the birds they find in their assigned area, within our designated 15-mile radius circle centered around Milford, for whatever hours they choose.
Each group has a leader who will have received appropriate materials beforehand. Alternatively, instead of joining a group, you can count birds at your own feeder off and on throughout the day if you are within our circle. If you are a new counter for either the group counts or the feeder counts, please contact Sandy Bright at brights@hartwick.edu or 607-287-4465. People who have participated before will be contacted.
2025: Saturday, December 27 – Fort Plain Christmas Bird Count (CBC): All are welcome to participate regardless of birding experience. For information contact Contact Charlie Scheim at scheimc@hartwick.edu or by phone 607-434-4880.
View Maps for the Fort Plain Christmas Bird Count.
The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a long-standing program of the National Audubon Society, with over 100 years of citizen science involvement. It is an early-winter bird census, where thousands of volunteers across the US, Canada and many countries in the Western Hemisphere, go out over a 24 hour period on one calendar day to count birds.
Stories from Greater YellowstoneA deep dive into the heart of the Rockies, and how to defend this threatened wilderness
Event Details
Stories from Greater Yellowstone A deep dive into the heart of the Rockies, and how to defend this threatened wilderness
Location: Zoom Date & Start Time: January 16th, 2026 at 7:30pm
Yellowstone is more than a national park—it’s one of the last strongholds of truly wild America. From the howls of grey wolves to the powerful presence of grizzly bears, the park’s iconic wildlife tells a story of resilience, recovery, and the delicate balance that keeps these ecosystems thriving. Join us for wildlife photographer and storyteller Kyle Dudgeon, as he shares with us some of his encounters with animals that have left lasting impressions, and inspired a fight to protect the future of this special place.
Presenter Bio: Kyle Dudgeon is an award-winning filmmaker and nature photographer based in Bozeman, Montana. After earning a degree in the environmental sciences in his home state of New York, Kyle’s dream of exploring conservation stories through photography and film landed him in the Intermountain West in 2019. He is particularly drawn to the relationship between humans and birds, and how each work to navigate a changing world.
The NY State Ornithological Association’s annual statewide waterfowl count is scheduled for Sunday, January 18, 2026.
DOAS covers Otsego Lake
Event Details
The NY State Ornithological Association’s annual statewide waterfowl count is scheduled for Sunday, January 18, 2026.
DOAS covers Otsego Lake and the Susquehanna River above Unadilla, the Unadilla River, and Cannonsville Reservoir and the W. Branch of the Delaware River. This effort involves surveying waterways where they can be viewed, and identifying and counting ducks and geese. The totals are used by the Department of Environmental Conservation in managing these species over the upcoming year.
Anyone interested in helping with the census, please contact Andy Mason at (607) 267-8491, or by email at AndyMason@earthling.net.
We envision a healthy world where people and wildlife thrive and natural resources are protected. The mission of Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society is to protect our natural environment and connect people with nature to benefit birds and other wildlife through conservation, education, research and advocacy.
The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a free, fun, and easy event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create
Event Details
The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a free, fun, and easy event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of bird populations. Participants are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the four-day event and report their sightings online at birdcount.org. Anyone can take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, from beginning bird watchers to experts, and you can participate from your backyard, or anywhere in the world.
Each checklist submitted during the GBBC helps researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society learn more about how birds are doing, and how to protect them and the environment we share. Last year, more than 140,000 participants submitted their bird observations online, creating the largest instantaneous snapshot of global bird populations ever recorded.
The 29th annual GBBC will be held Friday, February 13 to Monday, February 16, 2026.Please visit the official website at www.birdcount.org for more information and be sure to check out the latest educational and promotional resources.
“This count is so fun because anyone can take part —we all learn and watch birds together—whether you are an expert, novice, or feeder watcher. I like to invite new birders to join me and share the experience. Get involved, invite your friends, and see how your favorite spot stacks up.” -Gary Langham, Chief Scientist
On the program website participants can explore real-time maps and charts that show what others are reporting during and after the count. Be sure to check out the Explore a Region tool to get an idea of what you can expect to see in your area during the next GBBC.
